5 Ways to Increase Your HVAC’s Efficiency

Nobody likes to waste money. But you may be doing just that if you are not paying attention to the efficiency of your Fort Collins, CO, home’s HVAC system. If it’s not running at its highest efficiency, you are paying more for your energy than you could be, thereby spending money unnecessarily. At Balance Point Heating & Air Conditioning, our heating-and-cooling specialists regularly see ways our customers could increase their HVAC system’s efficiency and save themselves money.

While there are many ways to help increase your system’s efficiency, here are the top five ways we recommend:

1. Change your Air Filter

Changing your air filter every month, or at least every three months, can make a huge difference to your HVAC system and your home, according to Energy Star® (LINK: https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_hvac). When your filter is dirty, it blocks the air flowing through your system, causing the system to work harder and use more energy. If your filter is dirty, it also cannot do its job by stopping dirt and dust from building up in your system. This definitely makes your system work harder and over time decreases its lifespan.

2. Set your Thermostat Properly

If you have a programmable or smart thermostat, be sure to use it to its fullest capacity. Setting your home’s temperatures to accurately reflect your schedule conserves both energy and money. Be sure to turn down your heating or cooling at night while you are sleeping and when you are gone from the house. Also, try setting the temperature a degree or two lower for heating and higher for cooling on a regular basis. You will find you may not even notice the temperature difference and you can really save energy. These efforts also prevent your HVAC system from working too hard, again increasing its efficiency and lifespan.

3. Check your Ductwork

If you have a forced-air system, the ducts in your home carry air to and from your heating-and-cooling system. If the ducts have leaks or are not sealed properly, air escapes, hiking up your utility bills and causing your HVAC system to work a lot harder to make your home comfortable. Have one of our heating-and-cooling professionals check your ductwork and address any issues. Also, really dirty ducts can operate similarly to a dirty filter with the same consequences. Have them cleaned if this is a problem.

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4. Schedule Regular Maintenance

Your HVAC system needs to be cleaned and checked on a regular basis. We recommend at least once annually––in the fall for your heating system and then in the spring for your cooling system. If your system is older, it may require more frequent care. Ensuring you have someone cleaning and checking your system regularly only brings you good results. It helps your system operate at its highest efficiency, increases its lifespan, and contributes to preventing unexpected repairs.

5. Upgrade or Retrofit your System

When your system is older, it cannot operate as efficiently as newer models. Technology continually marches forward, making improvements in the efficiency of HVAC systems. If your system is ten or more years older, you are spending more in energy than you could be. It might be time to upgrade to a newer, more efficient model. But if it just is not in the cards for you right now, think about talking to us about possibly retrofitting. This just means replacing portions of your system with newer parts. Retrofitting, obviously, is not the same as a new system, but it can help with your system’s efficiency. What you save in energy over time could more than pay for the improvement.

At Balance Point Heating & Air Conditioning, we want you as comfortable as possible in your home. But we want to make it as cost-effective as possible for you as well. Taking the appropriate steps for your HVAC system results in a more efficient system and money saved. Call us at 970-480-0387 to schedule an appointment today.

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Our Service Technician was Jim Jensen. He was very kind and patient with us. I hope we continue to work with him for heating and air conditioning in the future. Best service and technician I've worked with thus far!

When choosing Balance point I was looking for a local company as it is very important to me to support my local economie. As a bonus I found out Balance Point had very professional and reliable staff recommending what is good for my house and household without trying to talk me into any unnecessary services.

Awesome customer service, very professional staff and technicians. Always there to get the job done right with the highest quality, and service that you wont find anywhere else. I wont go to anyone else for my heating and cooling needs. Thank you!

Ken was extremely helpful, knowledgeable and non-salesy in his approach. He showed us the great value that Balance Point provides in their services. I will recommend you guys to others when the opportunity presents itself.

We have done business with Balance Point for a number of years. They are courteous, prompt and knowledgeable. We heard a funny noise coming from our furnace and called To have a technician come out and take a look. He came out right away and found a small hole in our return on the furnace that was causing a whistling sound. He repaired the hole and gave our furnace a check up. Everything is working great now.

Wonderful experience I had with them. From the time I made the phone call to Anisha til the tech Ryan show up to fix my problem, they are professional, Knowledgeable and easy to talk to. My ac stop working a week ago, other company quoted me $2000 to replace my compressor , maybe even the whole unit . They were able to find out the problem and fix it for $1000. The manager callen event stop by to say hi to me while the repair was going. I am a business owner , I will sign up for their business service program now , they are just awesome . Thank you again

Excellent service visit. Had an appointment and staff arrived on time. Very careful to wear protective shoe covers, etc. Always show respect for the customer and your home. They completed all service items in a timely manner and gave a great wrap-up on my system. They always communicate very well. Great company!

I hired Balance Point Heating and Air to tackle a project that had been a soar in my 4 year old businesses' side. Installing Air condition in an old building that had many obstacles. Balance point not only handled the project for us, they were super professional the whole way and most important to us super personal the whole way through, we never felt they did not have our backs the whole way helping us make sure everything was done and working correctly. They helped us every step of the way, and did in amazing job. I would not hesitate to recommend them on any job in the future and hope to continue a strong relationship into the future!

Balance Point went above and beyond in recent service and installation of our new furnace. We were able to get same-day service on our initial call, and after our furnace was pronounced DOA, we were quickly given a range of good price options for a new furnace. Callen, Cole, and Ryan were efficient and friendly throughout the installation process, and we absolutely LOVE our new furnace. They've been very helpful in guiding us through the process for getting rebates as well.

Just had a QuietCool whole house fan installed. Cole and the electricians that came as part of the package were very professional, efficient, and personable. I love the fan and appreciate good service. Thanks.

We had a specialty AC unit that's designed for server room application, it's not designed to be repairable (TrippLite doesn't even offer a repair service for their $2500 unit), Balance Point Heating & Air Conditioning was the only place in Fort Collins I found that was willing to work on it. David V. was able to diagnose and repair the issue on it in an hour; it was obvious that he knew how to troubleshoot and find an oddball issue, and not just throw parts at it and hope it fixed it.Thank you very much for your excellent work!

Couldn't be happier with them. My hot water heater recently went out and Balance Point was quick to get out there and make sure I could replace it right away. I decided it was time to replace my ancient furnace and air conditioner at the same time. They offered several alternatives at various price points, explained the differences between them, and helped coordinate several rebates my final system selections were eligible for. Due to the design of my home, the space available install the system was limited and offered some challenges which they adapted to and handled with ease. They worked late on a Friday to make sure everything was up and running so I could use it if necessary over the weekend. I never hesitate to recommend Balance Point to friends and clients because they all have been happy with their work as well.